Drought deepens strain on a dwindling Colorado

By Patty Henetz – The Salt Lake Tribune

The drought gripping Utah, Southern California and the rest of the Southwest this century shows no sign of ending. Scientists see it as a permanent condition that, despite year-to-year weather variations, will deepen as temperatures rise, snows dwindle, soils bake and fires burn.

http://www.sltrib.com/News/ci_11096669

Drill, Baby, Drill” is Not Just a Popularity Contest

 

by Shauna Stephenson – Wyoming Tribune-Eagle             [this is a really good opinion piece: tk]

Value is not measured in cubic feet, and keeping those resources – clean air, clean water and open space – is going to take nothing short of a battle. It will no doubt be my generation’s burden to shoulder, and the weight will be too crushing to fiddle around with popularity contests.

http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews+articleid_2840109~pageid_1.html

Drilling process causes water supply alarm

The Denver Post – NOv. 17 2008

By Abrahm Lustgarten
ProPublica

In July, a hydrologist dropped a plastic sampling pipe 300 feet down a water well in rural Sublette County, Wyo., and pulled up a load of brown, oily water with a foul smell. Tests showed it contained benzene, a chemical believed to cause aplastic anemia and leukemia, in a concentration 1,500 times the level safe for people….

… many of its 6,000 wells have undergone a process pioneered by Halliburton called hydraulic fracturing, which shoots vast amounts of water, sand and chemicals several miles underground to break apart rock and release the gas.

The process has been considered safe since a 2004 study by the Environmental Protection Agency found that it posed no risk to drinking water. After that study, Congress even exempted hydraulic fracturing from the Safe Drinking Water Act. Today, fracturing is used in nine of every 10 natural-gas wells in the United States.

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_11001835

Visit: ProPublica.org’s website for much more on the water safety story, including a slide show explanation of the hydraulic fracturing process in Wyoming, extensive documents, and links for more information..

The Windy Gap water diversion project would deal a major blow to a portion of the Colorado River that is already struggling to survive.

Denver Post Perspective – October 26, 2008

Gretchen Bergen is a freelance writer and independent public information consultant. Grand County is one of her clients. She was also a 2006 Colorado Voices columnist.

http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_10799046

Environmental groups blast SDS review

By CHRIS WOODKA
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

n a 27-page comment made available by the groups to The Pueblo Chieftain, the Rocky Mountain Environmental and Labor Coalition and the Sierra Club blast the supplemental report for ignoring key environmental concerns they brought up relating to the draft EIS.

http://www.chieftain.com/articles/2008/11/27/news/local/doc492e663f000ca163049607.txt

Seawater Farming: A Solution for Rising Sea Levels, Food and Fuel Crises?

 From Celsias – a website that “is all about doing practical things to combat climate change”

At Eritrea, workers planted the powerhouse halophyte salicornia, also known as sea asparagus. This salt-loving succulent is a potential food source and an oil seed crop that can also provide a cooking oil, high-protein meal, and biofuel.

http://www.celsias.com/article/seawater-farming-solution-rising-sea-levels-food-a/

So Simple It’s Brilliant: A Machine that Makes Drinking Water from Air

Discover Online

At a time when only one in six people on the planet have access to water and bottled water is not always the most practical (or environmentally sound) option, inventors are busy trying to turn just about anything into water.

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2008/11/26/so-simple-its-brilliant-a-machine-that-makes-drinking-water-from-air/

One last plea from Jon Harp of Conejos River Anglers

…. each of you that fish this river and care about its future, make a donation to the Conejos Habitat Project! It is tax deductable and will make a huge difference in the future of the river. Send checks to Trout Unlimited c/o Conejos Habitat Project, P.O. Box 503, Alamosa, CO 81101

Our View: The next phase of the salmon debate begins with hope

 Idaho Statesman Editorial – 11/23/08

This month’s elections finally offer a glimmer of optimism to anyone passionate about saving Idaho’s wild salmon. Considering the continued plight of the salmon – and the political gridlock at the root of their peril – it feels good to feel hopeful.

http://www.idahostatesman.com/editorial/story/580865.html

NOVEMBER 11, 2008 New Administration Would Risk Backlash With Gas-Drilling Reversal

 Wall St. Journal – by Ben Casselman

Sunday, John Podesta, who is helping to lead Mr. Obama’s transition team, singled out the Utah leases as one decision the Obama administration might try to reverse. “They want to have oil and gas drilling in some of the most sensitive, fragile lands in Utah that they’re going to try to do right as they [are] walking out the door. I think that’s a mistake,” Mr. Podesta said on “Fox News Sunday.” 

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122636586468315907.html?mod=googlenews_wsj